12 Sprigs of Holly
by NeoNails
Summary: 12 oneshots. One each day. All Christmas themed. No specific pairings or characters. Think I can make it?
1. Candles in a Christmas Tree

Pointless cotton-candy fluff just in time for the holidays. I think I may try to make 12 of these leading up til Christmas (I know, technically the 12 days of Christmas is supposed to be _after_ Christmas, but we're going with the traditional 'I'm pretending I had no clue' clause. ;D). Fingers crossed that I can make enough in time.

On the plus side, they're all going to be this painfully short and pointless, but there's not gonna be a specific theme- just inspired by some of my favorite random Christmas songs as I wait patiently for the day to arrive and avoid studying for finals. Oh, the joys of college season…

If you're wondering if I did the math wrong, I only kinda did. You guys are getting two oneshots on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, depending on how nice I am... ;)

$4$

_Oh, the fire's burnin' slow  
__Now where's that mistletoe?  
__Oh, dear, it's getting' kinda hot in here  
__I need a taste of Christmas cheer_

- "Santa's Got a Brand New Bag," by SheDAISY

**

* * *

**

"You know, normal people put the Christmas tree _in_ the house."

Layla smiled and turned around, staring at her boyfriend amusedly. It was their first Christmas living together, and they were still having fun grappling with one another's traditions and habits.

"If you put the tree in the house, you would have had to chop it down," she replied patiently, wrapping her festive dark green scarf tighter around her neck. "And if you chopped it down, you would have to be sleeping were the tree used to be."

He laughed at her soft-spoken threat and walked closer, and she had to appreciate how nicely the black long-sleeved t-shirt filled out his broad shoulders. "Alright, so what do you do instead? Get an extra-long power cord for the Christmas lights?"

She turned back to the tree and continued hanging up the small handmade ornaments. "You should know me by now," she said, smiling wryly. "If I wanted to grow a beautiful evergreen tree close to the house so we can string it up with cheap plastic lights, I would've done that."

He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her slim waist and dropping his chin on her shoulder, no mean feat considering he was half a foot taller than her. "So does that mean we're not going to have any lights on our outdoors, all-natural Christmas tree?"

She elbowed him gently, then leaned down and picked up a heavy paper bag and pulled out one of the many objects inside it. It was a small iron-frame box with glass windows and a tiny door that swing open to reveal a tea candle

"I figured if we're going to do this is this the outdoors, all-natural Christmas way we might as well go all out and have our lights follow the same theme."

He stared at the little candleholders carefully, and then looked up at her, incredulity written all over his face as he said, "_Candles?_"

She grinned undeniably evilly as she responded, "Well, you always loved to use that little finger snap-flame trick when we were younger… now you have the excuse to use it again."

Warren stood up straight, spinning her around so she was facing him and tightening his arms around her waist. She grinned and obligingly wrapped her own arms around his neck, leaning in for a kiss. It was just as good as it always was. There was snow on the ground, she was bundled up in a sweater, jeans, boots, a scarf, a hat, gloves, and her favorite dark grey peacoat, and he still had the ability to heat her up so fast with a little kiss she was practically panting.

When they finally broke apart, he shot her a good-natured glare and said in a voice a little bit deeper than it had been minutes before, "I hate when you use me for my body."

$4$

This is barely 500 words, which is truly pathetic for me. But oh well. If you guys want me to meet my goal of 12 leading up to Christmas, this is how short they're gonna be. Call it a compromise. ;)


	2. A Pair of Elf Shoes

Day 2! Most of these will be uploaded around now, simply because it's easier for me to post them later because I'm on break now and have no intentions of waking up early and will be doing various things (hello, Christmas shopping...)

This one's a little longer, thankfully, but all in all pretty cute.

$4$

_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
__There is just one thing I need  
__I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree  
__I just want you for my own  
__More than you could ever know  
__Make my wish come true  
__All I want for Christmas is  
__You…_

- "All I Want for Christmas," by My Chemical Romance (Don't mock me. It's a really good cover, despite the fact that I am no longer a 13-year-old girl. Look it up on YouTube.)

* * *

Magenta didn't like Christmas.

This wasn't because she was a naturally abrasive person by nature and just disliked the holiday because everyone else loved it so much (please… like she would try that hard), or for some idiotic, simpering Hot Topic emo kid hates the world bullshit. She just didn't the holiday season.

And why the hell would she? She lived the most confusing holiday season of anyone she knew. Her mother was raised staunch Italian Catholic- she was the oldest of five, lived in Brooklyn for the first 20 years of her life, and was completely badass (and a Super). On the other hand, her father was an only child from central Jersey, Jewish, and a denist. Oh, and he didn't really give a crap about his religion, even though her mother felt guilty and decided it would be best if they celebrated both holidays each year. Maybe most kids would find it fun to get gifts on each holiday, but she just found it annoying and confusing.

This was why it was easier just being atheist.

She still had to buy presents, though. Which sucked, because that required money.

So here she was. She needed a job, and of course, because her life sucked _so_ hard, this was the only place that was willing to hire her.

Oh yeah. He life sucked. Really, really hard.

"What do you want for Christmas, Little Sally?"

If she did much more of this, she was going to take a Red Ryder BB Gun(1) and eat it.

"Oh, now let me get my right-hand elf, Holly, to get you a little treat."

She wanted to tell him _so_ badly what he could do with his 'little treat,' but that would doubtlessly get her fired and she really needed the money because she _still_ had to get presents for Layla and Zach. And she kinda wanted to get Zach something nice.

Damn her life.

She gave the little blonde girl a candy cane, smiled slightly (because that was all the fake emotion they were ever gonna get out of her) and picked up Sally and handed her off to her mom. She turned back to the waiting crowd of impatient parents and overexcited kids and said, "Alright, next in line."

The line shuffled forward, the next people stepping forward to hand in their paid ticket so they could have their little precious plopped on 'Santa's' lap and snap a few cute photos at a price just short of their souls (actually, it was more towards the tune of $39.99(2)).

But when she saw who was next in line, her brain and everything else that went along with it shut down.

She wasn't really all that recognizable. Her hair was tied back in two low pigtails at the nape of her neck and tied back with curled red ribbon. The mall forced her to wear a ridiculous getup of red and white striped stockings, a green dress with a red belt, red gloves, and a red and green felt cap with a drooping, pointed top that had three bells at the end of it. Oh, and green booties with pointed, curled toes and another bell at the end of each one.

She looked like the Ghost of Christmas Hell threw up on her.

And yet, somehow, he was here. What the hell? It's not like she told anyone she was working here. In fact, she made sure no one actually knew she _had_ a job at all. Any time she couldn't make a plan with Layla or the rest of the gang, she would make up some perfect excuse like her mom was forcing her into lockdown to clean her room (it was almost always in a state of near biohazard), or a random dentist appointment. And since the guys hated the mall and Layla wasn't a fan of fascist corporate conglomerates forcing their biased views down her throat while slaughtering several million animals each year to fuel their wretched clothing lines, it wasn't like she ever really had to worry about running into someone she knew at the mall.

Plus, none of them had kids, so it wasn't like they would ever need an excuse to get a picture taken with some old fat guy in a red and white suit.

And yet he was here. She wasn't sure if it would be smarter to turn and run in the opposite direction or just plead the Fifth and pretend as though she didn't have the slightest clue who he was.

He seemed to make up her mind for her because he grinned at her in that sheepish, dopey way of his and said, "Hey, Mage." His face was rapidly turning kind of scarlet, clashing horribly with his pale hair and green clothes, reminding her of the very holiday she was working for and hated.

"I know you're probably pretty pissed at me right now," he said, wincing slightly and bouncing on the balls of his feet. "But I was shopping for Christmas presents and I saw you here and before I knew it was standing in line and you actually look really cute dressed as an elf. Just sayin'." Now he was actually scarlet, and she was pretty sure if the lights were off right then he'd be brighter than a homing beacon.

And she was pretty embarrassed about this, too. It was bad enough she was dressed like a damned elf, why did he have to choose today of all days to shop and notice her here?

She glanced away, her own cheeks tingeing with pink as she noticed all her coworkers, Santa, and the parents and their kids were watching this awful little conversation unfold. "Listen," she began.

"Anyway," he said at the same time, rushing forward even though he knew he cut her off. "I know it's not Christmas yet but I saw you here and I just wanted to do this-"

Before she had the chance to look back up at him in confusion, he leaned down and gently kissed her.

He pulled back slowly, giving everyone the chance to appreciate her truly stunned expression. "Merry Christmas, Mage," he said, giving her his dopey grin one last time before he turned around and began his trek back into the actual mall.

Even though she hated her job, and Santa, and all those annoying parents and their screaming brats, nothing could stop the small smile from forming on her face.

Maybe Christmas wasn't _so_ bad after all.

$4$

This was really cute, and it'll probably be one of my favorites of the entire 12-Days series. I don't often write Magenta/Zach, which is a shame because I think they're adorable together (well, I also think the kid that plays Zach is adorable, too- and he's on that admittedly charming TV show _10 Things I Hate About You_, so I get to watch him and want to hug him pretty regularly).

So far, I have the first 3 days finished (I finished Day 3 before this one) and Day 4 started and a good idea of what I'm doing for Day 5 and 6.


	3. Three Days Inside

So far everything's been going along swimmingly. I have these planned out for the next few days ahead of time, because I didn't want to run out of steam before the 12 days were up.

Plus, this is giving me the excuse to scrounge around iTunes searching for good Christmas music that hasn't been overplayed. Though I will warn you that I plan on throwing a few of my favorite oldies up here soon. There aren't many, but they're all good. ;)

$4$

_There's bound to be talk tomorrow  
__Just think about a life from sorrow-  
__At least it'll be plenty implied  
__-If you got pneumonia and died  
__I really can't stay  
__Go with that hold out  
__Baby, it's cold outside!_

- "Baby, It's Cold Outside," by Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey

**

* * *

**

"Well, well, well. It's about damned time you got in."

Layla froze, halfway down the hallway, eyes screwed shut. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her back and spun on her heel, facing the kitchen and her best friend Magenta. "Heeey," she said, drawing the word out unintentionally. She grinned, completely fake and awkward, "How long have you been here?"

Magenta smirked at her, dark brown eyes smug and all-knowing. "Long enough to know you never came home last night," she said, tapping her short, plum-painted nails against the marble counter on the island. "Which leads me to wonder, seeing how it's Monday morning, just when did you leave the house last?"

Layla sighed, dropping her bag on the countertop and sinking into a stool. "I never should've given you a spare key," she said, putting her face in her hands.

Her best friend laughed, then walked towards the fridge and pulled out a bottle of red wine- the only alcohol Layla ever kept in the house. She grabbed two glasses along the way and set everything on the counter, expertly uncorking the bottle. "I want details, Fern Girl. How long have you been gone?"

She pouted, not wanting to get into details. It was pretty embarrassing, really. "Do I have to?" she half whimpered, slumping further against the counter.

"Yes," Magenta barked with militant firmness as she filled the two wine glasses nearly to the brim. "I want details, because when you're married life gets old fast and you have to rely on your single friends to live through vicariously."

Layla picked her head long enough to stare at her in a mixture of horror and disgust. "You need help," she mumbled, picking up the glass and taking a healthy gulp. "But sadly, you are my best friend and that means I have to comply with your bizarre demands because that's what good best friends do."

Magenta nodded, grinning as she took a sip from her own glass. "So," she prompted, "Since I can't imagine anyone else you could've been with, I'm gonna assume it's the same person you left with at our holiday party?"

She nodded, tucking a lock of red hair behind her ears. "Yup," she confirmed, grimacing in shame a little as she took another drink.

"Well?!" Magenta asked impatiently, slapping her hand on the counter. "Give me the gory details! How was it?!"

Layla couldn't stop a small smile from slipping onto her face. "It was… good," she said slowly, not looking Magenta in the eye.

She started laughing. "_Good_?! That's _all_ you were going to say after you spent a good 72 hours holed up in his place? It was _good_?!"

Biting her lip, she risked a glance at her wise best friend. She shrugged innocently, trying to keep her emotions from giving anything away. "Well, it _was_ snowing and freezing all weekend," she replied, grinning. "And it would've been dangerous to go out on all that black ice…"

Magenta snorted and shared a conspiratorial look with the decidedly evil redhead. "Sure, hon, whatever gets you to sleep at night."

They clinked glasses and Layla's grin turned sly. After all, who better to spend a frigid weekend with than a hot pyrokinetic?

$4$

Painfully short like the first one, but it was an idea I couldn't get out of my head and I knew it'd be just a short snippet of a conversation, and I admit that I'm a shameless fan of a fun, pointless conversation.

I'm warning you guys that while the characters involved in the oneshot may not always be my favorite couple, but more than likely there'll be some mention of them together. That's just how I work. I'm a pain in the ass that way. ;)

Oh, and just as an amusing little factoid: I started this one as Day 4, but got distracted writing what _was_ supposed to be Day 3 (it's now scheduled for tomorrow as Day 4), and this popped up and when I thought of the title (usually that doesn't happen until the end but once in a blue moon inspiration strikes early) I knew this _had_ to be bumped up to Day 3.


	4. Four Cups of Eggnog

Sorry this is a little later than expected. I got distracted with Christmas shopping. O.o

$4$

_Once bitten, and twice shy  
__I keep my distance but you still catch my eye  
__Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?  
__Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me_

- "Last Christmas," by The Glee Cast

**

* * *

**

Layla had been sitting out on the porch, nursing a hot cup of eggnog for the last ten minutes. She wasn't a fan of eggnog, but there was enough Bailey's Irish Cream in it that she didn't really care. She just needed a little something extra to soothe her frazzled nerves.

She had lasted exactly two minutes in there before she snagged the eggnog and sought refuge on the back porch, away from the Strongholds' and their family and friends' prying eyes. They all knew who she was, and they all knew what happened. She was, after all, Will's best friend since they were in diapers. She was kind of a hard face to forget.

Especially after she bolted two days after Christmas day a year ago. That was _really_ hard to forget.

She saw Will standing there, with her… She couldn't do it. She was still human. She knew he didn't mean it, maybe, but she still couldn't stand there and force pleasantries as if she wasn't dying slowly on the inside. So she made a beeline for the backyard, where no one bothered to visit because it was close to below freezing and Mr. Stronghold wasn't going to light the fire pit for marshmallows and s'mores until after dinner.

So she was safe from prying eyes. For now.

Yes, it was freezing out and she had already handed her coat to Mrs. Stronghold to put in the guest room with everyone else's, so she was leaning against the porch in nothing but a pale green sweater, dark jeans, and worn brown thick-heeled boots. She was pretty damned cold but the eggnog was doing enough of a job as she continuously sipped from it and kept it close to her face.

She heard the sliding glass door slide open, and then slide close. She didn't need to turn around. She already knew who it was. She could feel it, even from 5 or 6 feet away.

"You've gotta be freezing right now."

She kept staring into her cup of eggnog, already three-quarters of the way empty, letting the heat waft up to her face. "I don't really mind," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Not that there was much to flip anymore.

"You look good," he said, abruptly changing the conversation as he stepped forward, leaning against the pole next to her and finally coming into her peripheral vision. "The short hair suits you."

She smiled crookedly, tilting her head so her shaggy, chin-length bob cascaded forward and she glanced over at him. "I like it, too," she whispered. "It was a change that I needed to make. I was tired of long hair."

"It seems like you've been making a lot of changes recently," he noted, the tone in his deep voice surprisingly light. "Pretty interesting changes, if you asked me."

Layla chuckled, taking a more than healthy sip of her eggnog. She noticed he was drinking one as well, but she knew it wasn't for the heat and alcohol as she needed it. He never needed heat, for obvious reasons, and the booze… well, he wasn't one to drink when his nerves were rattled. Not that she could ever really tell when his nerves were rattled.

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment," she responded, tilting her almost empty cup towards him in a salute.

"It is," he said, smiling a little. "Not many people can handle heartbreak and come back a year later to the Christmas party their ex is hosting."

She shook her head, polishing off the rest of her eggnog. "Enough about my sad history," she said, grinning wryly. "How about we refill our drinks and talk about what's going on in our lives right now?"

He studied her for a few seconds, then grinned and nodded. "Works for me."

After all, Christmas parties were never any fun unless you had someone to commiserate with (and drink alcohol-laced eggnog).

$4$

Again, I apologize for this being so late but I got distracted with real-life crap today. Tomorrow's should get in at a better time, I swear. :)


	5. Five Icicles in a Row

This turned out surprisingly well. Especially considering there's basically nothing for me to go from, character-wise.

$4$

_They're singin' Deck the Halls  
__But it's not like Christmas at all  
__I remember when you were here  
__And all the fun we had last year_

- "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)," by Leighton Meester (I don't watch _Gossip Girl_, but the girl's got a great voice)

**

* * *

**

She thrived off of the cold, but that didn't stop her from throwing on an oversized cowl-neck sweater (pale grey), skinny jeans (dark blue), and socks (white). When it came to her, it was never about warmth, it was just plain comfort.

She was sitting on the ledge of her bay window, the windows all open wide. Soft Christmas music was piping through the hidden speakers on her ceiling, and the rest of the lights in the house were dimmed low while the artificial Christmas tree (white) shined with tiny lights (white and blue).

Not that she was paying attention to any of this. She was staring at the top of the window, watching the icicles slowly form. The longer she stared, the longer they grew, slowly moving by centimeters until they began to look less like icicles and more like prison bars against the frosted windows.

It was a pretty apt metaphor for her life.

"_Baby, please come home…_" she whispered, singing along to the song as she leaned against the wall. The music suited her mood well, and she shut her eyes (pale blue), tugging her hair (pale blonde) out of its loose ponytail.

She finally pulled her eyes away from the window, twirling her finger over her knee, ice crystals forming in the air, shaping to form a tiny little ballerina, pirouetting as she continued to twirl her finger and spin the dancer.

It was Christmas Eve, and with a little help from her special 'abilities,' it was turning out to be a white Christmas for the city. Any other year, the sight of the fat snowflakes (white) against the cityscape background (black) would bring her unbridled joy, but not this year.

This year she was all alone for Christmas.

She moved her hand, letting the crystallized dancer slip off her jean-clad knee and tumble, still spinning, to the ledge, where it exploded into a million pieces upon contact with an almost soundless tinkle.

The sound was almost merry. It was a shame she wasn't.

He left, and now she didn't know what to do with herself. It was such a depressing thought to grapple with, but as she sat in the frigid cold of her living room (all silvers and blues with soft cream walls) it was unavoidable. She was miserable and it was all her fault.

It was his fault, too, but it was her fault for making him leave.

Hell, she kind of wanted to leave, too, but this was her apartment and her life and she had ties here that she couldn't exactly cut without serious repercussions. He, meanwhile, worked for one of the many international Superhero leagues so he could live pretty much anywhere he pleased.

But he only ever pleased to live with her. Until they fought and he… left.

And now she was alone for Christmas.

The otherwise quiet room was broken with the sound of the door rattling open. She turned around, eyes widening dramatically as _he_ walked in.

She catapulted off of the ledge, practically flying across the room and over the furniture (dark blue) and launching into his arms in the span of only a few seconds.

He hugged her back just as tight, and she shut her eyes, inhaling the familiar clean scent of Irish Spring soap and freshly cut grass. It was peculiar but 100-percent him.

"I missed you," he said, the low octave of his voice vibrating all the way down her spine.

She realized that tears (crystal clear) were beginning to roll down her cheeks, but that didn't stop her from whispering back, "I missed you, too, Will."

$4$

Again, painfully short.

Call her what you will, but if you don't recognize who I'm talking about there are gonna be some problems. Anyone who's read my past fanfiction knows what _I_ call her, but if you have a different name you could use it in this instance.

I am oddly attracted to this pairing, even if there is no particular basis for it. And I must say I liked this peculiar new style of writing. It's different but I think it kind of came off well in this drabble.


	6. Half a Dozen Cookies

My shortest by far... It's kinda obvious why. XD

$4$

_You play your card, but it's kinda cute  
__When you smile at me you know exactly what you do  
__Baby, don't pretend that you don't know it's true  
_'_Cuz I can see it when I look at you_

- "Everything," by Michael Buble (not _exactly_ Christmas-related- okay, not at all- but I didn't want to spend any more time scouring for Christmas songs, plus this is just a great song)

**

* * *

**

"What're you doing?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why is there flour and sugar and… is this molasses?"

"…Maybe."

"Are you trying to bake?"

"No! Why would I be baking?"

"I'm not sure… 'Cause, hon, we both know you can cook. You nearly set the spaghetti on fire the last time you tried, remember?"

"Yeah, well… baking is different than cooking."

"Sure… until you manage to get half the kitchen covered in flour. And sugar. And molasses. Wait, did you get _egg_ on the stove?!"

"Possibly."

"You're like my 5-year-old cousin. I can't leave you alone in a room for any period of time."

"That's not nice."

"You- oh my God, you got flour on the ceiling! How the hell did you _do_ that?!"

"…"

"And you're not going to say anything now, are you? You set off what looks like a baking explosion in _my_ kitchen, but you're not gonna freaking say anything!"

"…I was trying to bake you cookies."

"You- what? Aww, you were trying to bake me cookies? You're such a huge moron!"

"That's not fair, I was trying to bake you cookies!"

"Warren, you got half my kitchen covered in cookie fixings."

"But I love you?"

"Oh my… I love you, too, you moron. Just… next time, leave the baking to me."

"Yes, Layla."

$4$

Not my first time writing an all-dialogue oneshot, but it's definitely the first I've felt comfortable posting. I know it's nothing fancy, but it was quick and despite working at a restaurant I think it would be appropriately ironic that Warren can't cook for shit. Or bake, apparently.

Sorry it's posted late again!


	7. Seven Size Sevens

The shortest and most pointless by far. BUT I made my deadline with 10 minutes to spare!!! w00t!

I'm not a complete failure and slacker!

$4$

_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock  
__Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring  
__Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun  
__Now the jingle bell hop has begun_

- "Jingle Bell Rock," by Bobby Helms

**

* * *

**

Ethan did not mind his job. He actually liked it most days.

He had been working at the Reebok for the last two years, and he was just given his third raise, so he had no reason to really resent his job. He was getting a steady stream of money, and that's all he really needed.

He had just finished ringing up what had to be his thirtieth customer of the day when finally started to grimace. It was the damned music piping through the speakers. It was four more days until Christmas, and he was slowly beginning to lose his mind. It was all he ever heard. And it wasn't like there was any real variety- after about an hour or so, the music would begin to repeat again, the same twelve or so songs. Over. And over. And over.

He was a pretty pleasant person, always tried to be upbeat and chipper, even when he was being threatened to be shoved into a locker by one of the Super Jerks. But there was something about this music that was just slowly driving him insane.

There was no doubt about it. Ethan hated Christmas music.

$4$

Yes, this is insanely late almost to the point I missed my deadline. I apologize to the like 3 people that are actually following this. XD

By the way, this is the product of little sleep and working long hours at the mall. :D


	8. Eight Hours on a Plane

This is a side-parter to one of the previous oneshots, _Five Icicles in a Row_. I felt like it needed a little something else to complete the storyline.

$4$

_Oh, give me some of that Christmas feeling  
__Oh, tired of givin' and not receivin'  
__Who am I gonna cuddle up to  
__If I can't have you?_

- "Christmas Won't Be the Same Without You," by Plain White T's

**

* * *

**

Will was tired.

He had spent the better part of 10-hour flight awake, brooding silently as he replayed the most recent events. He loved her, but after living together for as long as they did it was all too easy to give up. They were so invested in each other, so invested in work and making their relationship work just as smoothly.

All that work slowly transformed into resentment, anger that bubbled over too fast and left the taste of bitterness lingering behind for too long. He left. He couldn't handle it, and neither could she. It was just easier to give up and forget everything.

That was what he thought, anyway.

But that was a week ago, and suddenly he was sitting alone in this cheap, cramped little apartment and… completely and utterly miserable. He was happier fighting with her than he was without her.

Without a moment's hesitation, he boarded the next flight and went to go back and get his icy baby.

$4$

Intentionally gonna be like 1,000 words. I cut it down to 300 'cuz I couldn't focus. Yes, I'm aware of how much I suck.

Love you guys? :D


End file.
